The desirability of treating waste particularly in liquid form, also referred to herein interchangeably as wastewater, is well known. Some types of waste treatment are conventionally based on biological oxidation of the organic matter in the waste to carbon dioxide (CO2), using microorganisms such as bacteria. Many such waste treatment processes occur in the presence of oxygen, referred to as aerobic processes.
By way of non-limiting example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,896,804 discloses a system and a method for aerobic treatment of waste, including the continual introduction of microalgae.
Also by way of non-limiting example: U.S. Pat. No. 4,005,546 discloses a method of waste treatment and algae recovery; U.S. Pat. No. 4,209,388 discloses a method for the treatment of sanitary sewage comprising water containing suspended or dissolved organic matter, the concentration of which is measured by biochemical oxygen demand (BOD); U.S. Pat. No. 3,955,318 discloses a method of producing an algae product and of purifying aqueous organic waste material to provide clean water.